Iran brands Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist group in act of 'reciprocity'

More than 18 months after Canada labelled Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, the Middle East nation has done the same to the Royal Canadian Navy.

Iran’s foreign ministry said its decision was made “within the framework of reciprocity” as it relates to Ottawa’s 2024 decision to classify the IRGC as a terrorist entity, a move it said in a statement is “contrary to the fundamental principles of international law.”

It cited a piece of Iranian legislation enacted in 2019 that allows the country to apply the designation to “all countries that in any way comply with or support the decision of the United States of America to declare the (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.”

Formed after the 1979 Iranian revolution and now considered a “pillar” of the nation’s armed forces, the IRGC is a militia that controls vast business empires and operates armed and intelligence forces with little to no civilian oversight. Its more than 150,000 members oversee Iran’s missile program and nuclear efforts.

The U.S. first listed the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term. Canada, advancing its own efforts to rebuke the Iranian regime’s “unlawful actions and its support of terrorism,” followed suit last June.

“The Government of Canada has concluded after a deliberative process based on very, very strong and compelling evidence that the cabinet received that now is the time to list the IRGC as a criminal organization,” the Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters in Ottawa.

Canada had already designated Quds Force, a branch of the IRGC, as a terrorist entity in 2012, because it provides weapons, money and training to groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).

According to the U.S. Counter Terrorism Guide, Quds Force “is one of the Iranian regime’s primary organizations responsible for conducting covert lethal activities outside Iran, including asymmetric and terrorist operations.”

While not specifically stated by Ottawa, one of the key factors in offering the 2024 designation was Iran’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which led to the deaths of all 176 passengers and crew, 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The Guard admitted it was responsible, but said the aircraft was mistaken for a hostile target.

Despite calls from within and outside Canada to apply the terrorist label to the parent IRGC, the Liberals resisted for several years, citing potential unintended consequences on Iranians who were forced into mandatory service or sent money home from Canada.

Then Justice Minister Arif Virani said an individual’s willingness and intent must be considered under the Criminal Code.

“If an individual was conscripted at one point in time and no longer serves with the IRGC, that would affect the analysis and inform the analysis,” Virani said last year.

“If the person who is sending the money does not know what it is going to be used for and is, in fact, kept in the dark about that information, that would also affect the analysis.”

In addition to the U.S. and Canada, Sweden, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia also list IRGC as a terrorist group. Late last month, Australia also listed the Guard as “a state sponsor of terrorism.” 

Iran’s foreign ministry did not detail the practical consequences of the designation on Canada’s Navy.

National Post has contacted Iran’s ministry, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office and Global Affairs Canada for comment and more information.

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